‘Enabling Choices’
Researchers: Claudia Meyer, Judy Lowthian, Marissa Dickins, Fleur O’Keefe, Kylie Hall, Louise Davison
Study population: Home and Community Support clients
Funding support: State Trustees Australia Foundation
Risk is a complex concept, especially in dementia care. Balancing the risk and autonomy of a person with dementia and memory loss is complicated. There is potentially much conflict in the differing perspectives of the person with dementia and memory loss, their carers and their healthcare providers.
A previous project developed a conversation tool ‘Enabling Choices’ in paper-based format to assist health professionals to negotiate risk the person with dementia may be experiencing, in areas such as self-care, mobility and driving.
This tool is now being converted to electronic format, for use in the community nursing context. ‘Enabling Choices’ is designed to balance a person with dementia’s choices against mitigation of unacceptable risk. The electronic version of the tool, previously found to be acceptable in paper-based format, has been co-designed with dementia specialist nurses and the Bolton Clarke Digital team. It is now undergoing further refinement for useability and acceptability with frontline workers, people with dementia and their carers.
Links to Media Articles
Initiatives help home care workers support people with dementia - Community Care Review
